The best kitchen designs – how to achieve a functional kitchen

Last Updated on 30. November 2025 by Noremax

There is no such thing as the best kitchen designs. Because a kitchen must be designed after a specific room and the specific needs of the users. Nevertheless, there are several guidelines that will make a significant impact to the functionality of the kitchen.

The working triangle

The most popular design principle when it comes to the kitchen is the working triangle. This concept aims to achieve a working flow which minimize movements. It is a triangle that connects three main areas of your kitchen – sink, cooking area (hob/oven) and fridge. Why is the triangle rule used in the best kitchen designs? These three sections are the most used areas in a kitchen. Hence, it’s of great importance that the distance between them is considered. The stove, sink and refrigerator should be placed on such distances that they offer easy access to each other. This ensures efficient cooking and food preparation. However, do not place them too close together as this will simply create a tight space. The working triangle is not a rule that must be strictly followed, since the size and shape of the kitchen might allow for different solutions. However, it is a great guideline to consider when redesigning a kitchen.

Kitchen zones

When deciding on an optimal floorplan for a kitchen, the user should consider to create dedicated zones to different tasks. This ensures efficiency and user-friendliness as for example, cooking utensils, pots and pans would be within reach of the stove and oven, i.e., cooking area.

Another zone to consider while planning the floorplan is the food preparation area. In this area, it is important to have enough countertop space to be able to work freely. Tools for work should be close at hand. I.e., knives, cutting boards and perhaps a garbage basket to get rid of waste straight away.

Cleaning and sanitation is another zone that requires consideration. This is why there is often cleaning tools and chemicals underneath the sink, and the dishwasher machine is often place right next to the sink.

These are just some kitchen arrangement ideas. The layout of your specific kitchen depends on your personal needs and wants. Our suggestion is just to consider arranging your kitchen in a way that is beneficial to you and your lifestyle.

Best kitchen designs in 2021

Undoubtedly, this year’s trends are influenced by the current socio-economic situation, which allowed us to learn about the advantages and disadvantages of our houses and apartments.

2021 is a turning point when it comes to kitchen design as well as interior design overall. Since working from home has been a way to live the past few months, we have noticed a change in peoples’ living situations. We more and more appreciate our homes and we have a different desire to express ourselves within our interiors. Now more than ever have it become important to prosper and feel comfortable at home. Therefore, we have found that the popular trends have varied from Scandinavian white to humble earthy tones and expressive colours. The common thread is quality and natural materials that brings both life and warmth into the interior, such as natural stones and timbers.

Choosing the style of the interior

To achieve a successful kitchen design, we suggest sticking to one style. Although some mix and matching cause the interior to intake personal character, too much can quickly become overwhelming and inharmonious. So, stick to one design style and add personality with a few carefully selected design elements or accessories and we are confident you’ll be able to create a great kitchen design.

We know that sometimes choosing decorative accessories isn’t as easy as it sounds, it can truly be a daunting task. Therefore, we are here to offer a few inspirational kitchen styles that will guide you to design a well thought-out, trendy, comfortable and cosy kitchen design.

Classic kitchen design

Despite the new time we currently live in, where technology and comfort are taking over, classical interior design styles never cease to lose ground on the trend market. The design style is modest when it comes to selecting kitchen utils and appliances. Instead, it focuses on natural elements such as wood and a large variety of different beautiful and traditional decorative elements such as cups and dishes. Textiles are also very welcome as they bring life and softness to the interior while also offering a functional attribute to the interior.

Futuristic kitchen design

If you are interested in futuristic kitchen designs, you should learn a few philosophies that influence this design style. A very characteristic feature of this style is the shiny benchtop and high gloss fronts. The design affects both the look of the kitchen as well as the functionality, as the shinier materials the easier cleaning is. Minimalism is another characteristic of the contemporary kitchen and if you are looking for a modern and simple design, we suggest excluding unnecessary, dust collecting decorative accessories.

Furthermore, in addition to excluding unnecessary accessories, modern kitchen designs feature simple geometry and lack of ornaments or additional knick-knacks. The best kitchens of this design holds technological solutions (like 2-in-1appliances) that both facilitate efficiency and make the interior look futuristic and modern.

Kitchen designs in the style of minimalism

In minimalist kitchens, it is advisable to limit the exposure of equipment and decorations. It is also advised to keep them in a uniform, preferably bright colour. The minimalist is a lover of simple shapes and forms that all follow the principle of use and ergonomics. White, beige and gray colours dominate the design style, but colour work great as well. Just make sure you do not go too crazy with colour but stay to grey hues of navy blue or moss green. Clean lines, forms and a consistent use of a single style of furniture and appliances create a minimalistic interior design that seems to create a sense of order and cleanliness and perhaps this is what so attractive about the design type.

Provencal-style kitchen designs

On the contrary to the contemporary design style, Provencal-style loves to add accessories that provides warmth and coziness to the interior. Open shelves that leave antique dishes, decorative pots and vases as well as textiles, like tablecloths and napkins, exposed will emphasize the charm of the interior even further. An antique look of the furniture is desired in this design style and it can be achieved artificially. The design style prefers natural material of high quality that will add to the authenticity of the ambience. Live or dried flowers and herbs are also welcome in this kind of kitchen designs.

Industrial kitchen designs

The industrial design style is dominated by raw and natural textures, like concrete, brick, metals and timbers with strong wooden textures. Walls can for instance be designed in concrete, red brick or decorative tiles. The industrial design style often features colours such as white, grey and black in addition to the natural materials. The ambience of the spatial design should feel serious and simple, without unnecessary decorations. However, the decorative accessories you do have should follow the industrial theme. For example, lights with visible bulbs, exposed timber beams, stainless steel appliances and black accessories are optimal additions to the interior.

The best kitchen designs with a small area

The optimal kitchen should be comfortable and user-friendly. The arrangement is easier said than done. All kitchens are different, and they offer different qualities. A small kitchen is particularly difficult to design as the space is limited and therefore, so is the number of options. Here are a few tips on what to think about when trying to decide upon the optimal floorplan for a small kitchen.

Designing a small kitchen might be a difficult task, however it is not impossible to achieve both a beautiful and a functional space. There are just a few basic principles you need to consider, to succeed with the task.

The first thing to consider is the colour and materiality scheme. Bright and light colours make a space feel more spacious and airy and it is especially desirable in a small kitchen. On our blog, there’s an article about kitchen paint ideas – you will find more information on the topic there.

Furthermore, it is worth considering using high-gloss fronts, because they too create a visual illusion of the space being larger than it actually is. It is because the high glossiness reflect light and brightens the space further. Making it feel both spacious, clean and fresh.

The best arrangement of a small kitchen utilises and make the most of the small area. How to design the floorplan is however strictly down to the qualities of the specific room. Perhaps a U shape of bench and overhead cabinets is the way to go, or perhaps installing kitchen furniture on a single wall is the better option. Consider the qualities of the room as well as the needs and wants of the user to be able to achieve the most optimal floorplan.

Advanced kitchen ergonomics — designing for movement, comfort and efficiency

While the working triangle is a useful starting point, the best kitchen designs rely on deeper ergonomic principles that make everyday tasks more intuitive and less physically demanding. True ergonomics considers not only the distance between zones, but also the height of worktops, the depth of cabinets, the angles of movement and the frequency with which specific items are used. Modern kitchens increasingly adopt the “5-zone workflow model”, separating inventory, preparation, cooking, cleaning and serving to ensure smooth transitions and eliminate unnecessary back-and-forth.

Countertop height is one of the most commonly overlooked aspects of comfort. The standard 90 cm is suitable for many households, but taller users often benefit from slightly raised surfaces (92–94 cm), while preparation areas requiring more precision—such as baking or chopping—can be designed lower for better control. Drawer placement also plays a significant ergonomic role. Deep drawers in the base cabinets eliminate the need to crouch down and search the back of a shelf, making kitchen routines more comfortable and significantly more efficient.

Equally important is the optimisation of reach zones. Frequently used utensils, spices and small appliances should be stored between hip and shoulder height. Objects placed too low or too high add repetitive strain and interrupt workflow. Soft-close runners, pull-out pantries, corner carousels and vertical lift doors further enhance ease of use, especially for households where more than one person may be cooking at the same time. Proper circulation space is another critical point: walkways between cabinetry and islands should ideally measure between 100–120 cm to allow two people to move freely without collisions.

The best kitchen designs always prioritise comfort, fluid movement and intuitive access. A space engineered to support the body—not work against it—naturally becomes more functional, more enjoyable and more tailored to the real rhythm of everyday life.

Material engineering and durability

When designing a high-functioning kitchen, aesthetics are only half the equation. The other half is material engineering—choosing surfaces and finishes that withstand heat, moisture, impact and constant use. In today’s market, materials differ significantly in performance, and the best kitchen designs rely on informed, intentional selection. Laminates and melamine fronts remain popular due to their affordability and improved durability, with modern high-pressure laminates offering resistance to scratches and steam far beyond older generations. For customers seeking a more luxurious alternative, lacquered MDF provides a sleek, seamless finish, available in high gloss or ultra-matte versions. Matte lacquers treated with anti-fingerprint technology have become a preferred choice in contemporary kitchens, especially in darker colour palettes.

Timber veneers offer the warmth and natural variation of wood without the maintenance challenges of solid timber. They can be finished in durable coatings that protect the surface from daily wear while highlighting the grain structure. Stainless steel, quartz composite, ceramic slabs and sintered stones dominate the worktop category, each offering unique performance characteristics. Quartz composites provide uniformity and exceptional stain resistance, while sintered stones—like Dekton or Neolith—are nearly impervious to heat and impact.

For customers interested in sustainable solutions, bamboo fronts or recycled composite materials achieve a balance between ecology and performance. Flooring must also be chosen with long-term resilience in mind. Engineered timber, luxury vinyl tiles (LVT) and porcelain stoneware offer distinctly different tactile impressions but share the ability to withstand moisture and heavy foot traffic.

Ultimately, the durability of a kitchen is determined not only by materials but by their compatibility. A strong design pairs stable substrates with resistant surface finishes, ensuring longevity even in high-usage households. Selecting materials through the lens of engineering ensures that the beauty of the kitchen is matched by lasting performance—one of the hallmarks of the best kitchen designs.

Integrated lighting architecture

Lighting is one of the most influential yet underestimated components of a functional kitchen. The best kitchen designs are never illuminated by a single ceiling lamp but built upon a layered architecture of ambient, task and accent lighting. This layered approach shapes how colours appear, how textures read and how comfortable the space feels during food preparation, cooking or evening relaxation.

Task lighting is the foundation of an ergonomic kitchen. LED strips mounted under upper cabinets provide direct illumination onto worktops, eliminating shadows cast by the body while chopping or cooking. Adjustable spotlights placed over preparation zones allow the user to perform precise tasks with confidence. In open-plan kitchens, pendant lamps over islands play a dual role—they visually anchor the space while providing focused light for dining, serving or casual work.

Ambient lighting sets the overall tone of the room. Modern kitchens benefit from linear LED profiles integrated into ceiling recesses or cabinetry elements. Tunable white solutions (ranging from warm 2700K to cool 4000K) allow the kitchen to adapt to different times of day: warmer light for evenings and cooler tones for cooking or cleaning. This adaptability supports comfort, energy awareness and visual clarity.

Accent lighting, though optional, elevates the spatial atmosphere. LED strips placed inside glass cabinets, plinth lighting along the floor or backlighting behind shelving adds visual depth and makes the kitchen appear more spacious—an ideal solution for compact interiors. High-quality CRI (Colour Rendering Index) is also crucial: lights with CRI 90+ ensure that food, timber and paint colours appear natural rather than washed out.

A well-designed lighting system does more than illuminate the kitchen—it defines its functionality, comfort and aesthetic character. When reading about “the best kitchen designs”, it is often the lighting that quietly makes the difference, transforming a standard interior into a visually coherent, ergonomic and emotionally pleasing space.

We hope that our article has inspired you and helped you on the way to achieve your dream kitchen. Our other article, Kitchen design pictures, will surely bring you even more inspiration. Check it out now!